''Walter the Farting Dog'' is the title character of a series of children's books written by William Kotzwinkle and Glenn Murray, and illustrated by Audrey Colman. The first book was published in 2001. By 2011, the first book had reported sales of more than 1.4 million hardcover copies, and the series had grown to five titles. The book has a hidden spider on every page except one, which has puzzled readers.
Publishing history
Kotzwinkle and Murray conceived the idea for the first book in 1990, inspired by a real-life dog named Walter, whose owner fed him doughnuts and beer and who was prone to foul-smelling flatulence. With assistance from Kotzwinkle's wife, Elizabeth Gundy, they devised a story about a dog who overcomes two burglars with his smelly farts. Eleven years passed before they found a willing publisher,
North Atlantic Books
North Atlantic Books is a non-profit, independent publisher based in Berkeley, California, United States. Distributed by Penguin Random House Publisher Services, North Atlantic Books is a mission-driven social justice-oriented publisher. Founded ...
, and the right illustrator, Audrey Colman. The book was a success and reached the top of ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
'' children's best seller list. Beginning with the second book, the series has been published by
Penguin Books
Penguin Books is a British publishing house. It was co-founded in 1935 by Allen Lane with his brothers Richard and John, as a line of the publishers The Bodley Head, only becoming a separate company the following year.Jonas Brothers. As of summer 2011, the Jonas Brothers were no longer attached, and Tim Hill was in discussions to direct the film for producers
Mary Parent
Mary Parent (born 1968) is an American film producer, and former studio executive. In February 2011, she co-founded Disruption Entertainment, a company with a first-look deal at Paramount Pictures. She was formerly the Chairperson of Metro Goldw ...
and the
Farrelly Brothers
Peter Farrelly and Bobby Farrelly, collectively referred to as the Farrelly brothers, are American screenwriters and directors. They have made eleven films together, including ''Dumb and Dumber'', '' Outside Providence'', and '' There's Somethin ...
.
Reception
The books have been criticized by some as an example of "poop fiction" for children (in the same vein as titles such as ''
Captain Underpants
''Captain Underpants'' is an illustrated children's novel series by American author and illustrator Dav Pilkey. The series revolves around two fourth graders, George Beard and Harold Hutchins, living in Piqua, Ohio, and Captain Underpants, a ...
'' and '' Zombie Bums from Uranus''); they have been subjected to occasional complaints and attempts to have the books withdrawn from libraries, and some librarians and bookstores have refused to carry the series. On the other hand, librarians (and others) have credited the books with effectively attracting young readers who might otherwise be hard to reach. In addition, many copies have been sold to adults. White House Chief of StaffJosh Bolten reportedly kept the book in his office as a "conversation-starter".
The ''
New Statesman
The ''New Statesman'' is a British Political magazine, political and cultural magazine published in London. Founded as a weekly review of politics and literature on 12 April 1913, it was at first connected with Sidney Webb, Sidney and Beatrice ...
s John Sutherland, comparing ''Walter'' to the 1956 children's classic '' Harry the Dirty Dog'', commented that Walter "is to Harry as Portnoy was to sexually uptight
Holden Caulfield
Holden Caulfield (identified as "Holden Morrisey Caulfield" in the story "Slight Rebellion Off Madison" , and "Holden V. Caulfield" in ''The Catcher In The Rye'') is a fictional character in the works of author J. D. Salinger. He's most famous ...
- dirtier". Noting that the "books carry the epigraph 'For everyone who is misjudged or misunderstood'", he concluded that they are ultimately about promoting "self-esteem".
Books in series
All are by William Kotzwinkle, Glenn Murray, and illustrated by Audrey Colman except as noted:
* ''Walter the Farting Dog'' (2001)
* ''Walter the Farting Dog: Trouble at the Yard Sale'' (2004) (This book has also been released in the U.K. as ''Walter the Farting Dog Farts Again'' and as ''Walter the Farting Dog: Trouble at the Garage Sale'' in Australia.)
* ''Rough Weather Ahead for Walter the Farting Dog'' (2005) (co-written with Elizabeth Gundy) (this book has also been released as 'Walter the Farting Dog and the Windy Day' in the U.K.)
* ''Walter the Farting Dog Goes On A Cruise'' (2006) (co-written with Elizabeth Gundy)
* ''Walter the Farting Dog: Banned From the Beach'' (June 21, 2007) (co-written with Elizabeth Gundy)
* (NOTE: Elizabeth Gundy was actually a "silent but deadly partner" in the first two books as well.)
In other languages
The original Walter story is now available in more than a dozen languages, including French,
Spanish
Spanish might refer to:
* Items from or related to Spain:
**Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain
**Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries
**Spanish cuisine
Other places
* Spanish, Ontario, Can ...
,
Dutch
Dutch commonly refers to:
* Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands
* Dutch people ()
* Dutch language ()
Dutch may also refer to:
Places
* Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States
* Pennsylvania Dutch Country
People E ...
Norwegian
Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to:
*Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe
* Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway
* Demographics of Norway
*The Norwegian language, including ...
,
Korean
Korean may refer to:
People and culture
* Koreans, ethnic group originating in the Korean Peninsula
* Korean cuisine
* Korean culture
* Korean language
**Korean alphabet, known as Hangul or Chosŏn'gŭl
**Korean dialects and the Jeju language
** ...
,
Japanese
Japanese may refer to:
* Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia
* Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan
* Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture
** Japanese diaspor ...
, and
Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...